Frozen Hearts
by MissMissive
Summary: "You wake up…" Some things never change, and Blue had never been one to listen. After three years, he finally decides that life is just too boring without his rival, and if Red won't come down from Mount Silver himself, then he's going to do something about it. But some things never change, and Blue has never been particularly emotionally sensitive. RedXBlue one-shot.


Blue trudged up the perilous mountain, the ice cold wind penetrating even his thick coat and threatening to throw him off-balance. It was only a short ways now; he could see the top of the mountain, and the cave in which Red made his home. Blue himself didn't know what had prompted him to abandon his Gym and make the dangerous journey all the way to the top of the mountain, to seek out a man who obviously didn't want to be found. But it was Red. _His_ Red. So Blue packed what supplies Charizard could carry and went.

He stopped for a moment at the entrance to the cave, resting a hand on the frigid rock. _No,_ He told himself, _you didn't cart your behind all the way up this Arceus-forsaken mountain just to turn around and go all the way back. _Sensing a brewing internal argument, he forced himself to enter before his troubled mind could command him otherwise.

When he saw him, his chest constricted painfully, making it hard to breathe. Red was huddled in the middle of the cave, Pikachu zipped in his jacket to keep warm as he held his hands over a pitifully small fire. Whether he didn't hear Blue or he was just being typical Red, he didn't react to the other's presence.

Blue forced his frozen feet to walk towards Red, stopping only a foot away from his Rival. Crimson eyes glanced slowly back at him, then flitted back to the fire. Red didn't move, didn't say a word. Before Blue was fully aware of himself, he had hauled the former Champion to his feet, jerking him around to face him. Pikachu fell out of Red's jacked with an alarmed "Pika!" darting to sit by the fire.

"You _moron_!" Blue yelled. "It's been _three years_, Red! You didn't even think about any of us, did you? For _three years_, we all thought you were _dead_, and I finally come all the way up here hoping to find some trace of you, and here you are, and what do you do? Nothing! That's all you've ever done, Red! Wake _up_ already!"

"You wake up…" It was the faintest mumble, hoarse and gravelly from a voice that was rarely ever used, but undeniably, Blue heard it. "What?" He said, looking down at his Rival and shocked to see tears threatening to pour from those brilliant red eyes. "Did it for you." Red murmured, sadness surfacing in his usually-emotionless eyes.

As this revelation dawned on Blue, he felt his legs begin to tremble and sank to the cold ground, pulling Red with him. He reached over to wipe away his rival's tears, but as soon as his fingertips brushed Red's ice-cold face, the Champion jerked away, wiping his eyes on his sleeve with an audible sniff. Red, the unbreakable Champion Red, was crying.

"Red…" Blue murmured, his own voice cracking. He put a hand on his Rival's shoulder, but Red shrugged it off. "Leave." Came the whispered command. This time, Blue wrapped his arms around Red's waist, pulling him so that he was leaning against Blue's chest. Red stiffened but didn't pull away, not even when Blue buried his face in Red's raven hair. "No." Blue murmured thickly. "Not ever again, Red."

Red pressed himself into Blue's warm embrace, his shoulders shaking as he tried to contain his emotions. Blue's hand sliding over his back dispelled any hope of doing just that, and he clutched a fistful of his Rival's shirt as he let the sobs tear from his throat. "Red…" Blue whispered his name over and over, as if it was the only thing cementing them both to reality. "Raticate…Oak…Championship…" Red murmured, brokenly listing each of his transgressions against Blue. "Red, no…" Blue said softly, but Red went on, more words tumbling out in gut-wrenching sobs than he'd ever spoken before.

"You were so much better. I tried. I never meant to…You helped me. You made fun of me. It hurt. I never knew what—but I never meant…" He took a deep, rattling breath to continue, but Blue's warm hand gently pressed against his mouth, stopping him. Red looked up through tear-blurred eyes to find that Blue was crying, too.

"I'm so sorry, Red." Blue whispered brokenly. Their lips met, and neither was sure how it happened. Everything between them, every trespass and every thought, was gone, lost in that moment. When they finally broke apart, they sat in silence, their ragged breaths dispelling as frosty plumes in the subzero weather. _"I love you."_


End file.
